Episode 1829 (5 September 1999)
Synopsis Carol numbly holds the picture of Dan with Bianca. Shocked, she demands to know the truth. Dan claims he had a fling with Bianca but insists that it's all in the past. Carol doesn't believe him; his absences and strange behaviour begin to make more sense. Dan panics. He tries to salvage their relationship with an extravagant pack of lies. He ends by swearing on the life of their unborn child that he's telling the truth. Distraught, Carol flees to the Vic to confront Bianca. The atmosphere in the Vic reaches fever pitch. Bianca exuberantly drags Barry into the Ladies' loo, urging him to propose to Natalie. Agitated, Dan calls the Vic to forewarn Bianca. Ricky answers and tells him he's coming home. Natalie accepts Barry's proposal. Carol storms in, cutting short the celebration when she drops the photo fragments to the floor. Bianca grows hysterical, brutal truths spilling from her mouth. Carol realises with growing horror that the affair was much more than a fling. Carol slaps Bianca in front of Robbie, Sonia and the rest of the Vic. She storms out. Bianca follows. Carol throws Dan out of the house. Carol forces Bianca to confess to Ricky. Disgusted, he tells Bianca their marriage is over. Ricky storms out. Bianca throws herself on Carol's mercy. As recriminations fly, it emerges Dan knew about Carol's pregnancy when he came to Manchester. Carol throws Bianca out of the house. Frank and Pat console Ricky. Pat blanches as Ricky insists he's going to end the marriage. Dan intercepts Bianca as she crosses the Square. She tells him to get lost. Ricky watches the exchange and gets the wrong idea. Ricky confronts Dan. A fight ensues. Alone and distraught, Carol finds solace in a bottle of vodka. She begins downing pills. Bianca frantically enters the Vic, looking for Ricky. Robbie, Sonia and Peggy make it plain she's not welcome. Restless, Dan lets himself in the house. He finds Carol slumped on the bathroom floor. Carol comes to and vomits the pills up. Dan tries to console her, urging her to be strong for the baby. Carol resolves to terminate it. Ricky nurses his wounds in the Arches. Bianca tentatively enters. Bianca pleads with Ricky to give her another chance. In her hysteria, Bianca's story gets more confused. Convinced she's lying Ricky pushes Bianca away. She falls to the ground. Ricky struggles to contain his horror. Distraught, he walks out on Bianca. Credits Main cast *Patsy Palmer as Bianca *Sid Owen as Ricky *Lindsey Coulson as Carol *Craig Fairbrass as Dan *Natalie Cassidy as Sonia *Dean Gaffney as Robbie *Mike Reid as Frank *Pam St. Clement as Pat *Ross Kemp as Grant *Steve McFadden as Phil *Lucy Benjamin as Lisa *Barbara Windsor as Peggy *Shaun Williamson as Barry *Lucy Speed as Natalie *Tony Caunter as Roy *Tamzin Outhwaite as Melanie *Adam Woodyatt as Ian *Todd Carty as Mark *Wendy Richard as Pauline *June Brown as Dot *Leslie Schofield as Jeff *Gavin Richards as Terry *Leila Birch as Teresa *Marc Bannerman as Gianni *Sylvester Williams as Mick Notes This was the first episode broadcasted in widescreen (16:9 aspect ratio) Category:Episode Category:1999 Episodes Category:Episodes outside of broadcast patterns Category:Hour-long Episodes Category:Hour-long Episodes One Number Only